In nature, ants may well be useful pets, but in the home they are definitely out of place. If the little cuddlers have invaded your home, maybe the following ten tips can help you get rid of them without an exterminator and chemical club.
1 lemon juice
Lemon juice is one of the most effective ways to scare away ants. Its pungent odor disturbs the sensitive sensory organs of the ants so much that they no longer communicate with each other via fragrances and can no longer find their “street”, which is also marked by pheromones.
Either put fresh lemon juice on a cloth and use it to wipe the ants affected areas or you mix lemon juice and water in a spray bottle and distribute the mixture where the ants are found.
2 Cucumber peels
The fact that ants take their cucumbers off is due either to the smell of green vegetables or, more likely, to a substance in the shell that protects the plant from pest infestation and can therefore be poisonous to the ants. Whatever the reason, all you need to do is lay out some pieces of cucumber to scare off the ants.
3 Essential oils
Most of the methods listed here are based on the principle of evicting ants with the help of strong odors, which of course also lend themselves well to essential oils such as laurel, clove or tea tree oil. Either dilute the essential oil of your choice onto the tiles or use them to put balls of cotton wool on them and place them in the places where the ants are haunted.
4 Cinnamon
Also, cinnamon essential oil can be applied diluted with a cotton swab or a cloth where the ants show up. Alternatively, you can mix half a liter of water with two tablespoons of cinnamon and some cloves in a spray bottle and distribute the mixture in the appropriate places.
Of course, you can also put the cinnamon in its purest form, taking care that your dog or cat does not nibble it, as it could be harmful to them.
5 baking powder and powdered sugar
If you do not just want to drive away the ants – and in this case more insects – you can kill them once and for all by mixing baking soda and powdered sugar in equal parts and laying out as bait.
Since the body chemistry of the ants is not compatible with the baking soda in baking soda, the animals will die as soon as they eat the mixture. Since they will probably first carry it into their burrow, this endangers the entire colony. Therefore, you should use this method only in exceptional cases.
6 cornmeal
Corn meal is just as rabid a measure as the last. When ingested, it interrupts the ants’ digestive process, causing them to starve a few days later.
Again, it goes without saying that the harmless methods are to be preferred.
7 Vinegar
One such harmless and extremely effective remedy is vinegar, which chases away the ants due to its strong odor. The simplest application is to pour the vinegar directly where the ants appear. In addition, you can also wipe your floor with vinegar cleaner or vinegar water, so they do not dare to cross it.
8 plants
Instead of distributing various remedies in the home or in the garden, you can also try to keep the ants away from your home with aromatic plants such as eucalyptus, basil, peppermint or thyme.
9 Baby powder
Even baby powder can keep away ants, but less likely to be due to its odor, but rather to the talc contained in this cosmetic. It is believed that the animals dehydrate as soon as they get in contact with it.
Scattered baby powder or other talc containing products can act as a kind of protective wall, which the ants can not cross. The same effect can be achieved with diatomaceous earth.
10th chalk
In addition to smells that are unpleasant for the ants, you can make life difficult for them even with insurmountable obstacles. Instead of scattering baby powder, it may be sufficient to draw a simple chalk line, which the ants are unable to cross, as shown in the following picture: A chalk ring is drawn around one tasty bait and not around the other.
So you can use natural resources to free your house or apartment from ants so they can stay where they belong and continue to do their useful work.
